The Bride-to-be: Transition {September Blog Circle}

my fellow confidence teachers and i opted to write on the topic of transition 

for this month's (super fun) blog circle.

as i thought about what to write about,

so many different topics came to mind - 

oliver going back to school,

leaving miles and i to transition into some (awesome) one on one time

and oliver to transition back into preschool fun with his little buddies!;

the transition of the seasons as summer gives way to fall -

the trees dropping their gorgeous leaves and

the blue skies lending to grey; and

sunday and monday nights returning to the nfl...

so many fun transitions in the air!

with fall, comes the end of (my) busy wedding season -

as i move away from weddings to family/holiday portraits...

i am recalling my AMAZING brides from this summer!

all summer long as i watched my brides walk down the aisle and 

transition from beautiful bride to be to

beautiful new wife, 

i was reminded of the incredible excitement and amazement and joy

that encompassed my own wedding and the planning that lead up to it.

the months i spent as a bride-to-be (just over five short years ago!)

were some of the greatest of my life!

the journey  - as i went from girl (madly in love) to bride-to-be to bride (still madly in love) 

was amazing. full of bliss, excitement and anticipation.

i am so thrilled to be working this fall with some incredible women (and their super rad fiances...)

who will be walking down the aisle in the coming year!

i love the squeals in their voices, the bounces in their steps

the joy and wonder surrounding them.

i was so honored to shoot the engagement portraits of

miss cambria and her groom to be, mason over the weekend.

i could have cut their excitement with a knife!

they are so in love AND so adorable together!!!!

love, love, love:

i ADORE this photo of cambria blushing/giggling. i shot it wide open (f1.4) to focus on cambria and let mason softly blur out in the background.

and i love this detail shot of her wild flower bouquet!:

it can be fun to shoot in big, empty unkept fields.

often times...the less distractions, the better to tell the story.

so awesome telling part of this love story 

with my camera

while being reminded of one of the sweetest times

of my life...

as i went from a girl in love to 

a mrs. mclaughlin in love. 

here's to change, to transition -

and all the joy that it can bring!

(not just for brides-to-be, students and football fans - but for us all).

be sure to read my dear friend/fellow teacher Cathy Mores' take on transition. she is an absolute gem - an amazing photographer and gifted writer.  read her post here!

{and be sure to continue reading the remaining posts in this month's fun blog circle!}

happy fall!

xo,

nikki

"time does not change us. it just unfolds us." - max frisch